Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever Anderson Coates Michael Mastropole Discovery

Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever Anderson Coates Michael Mastropole

Discovery • Three initial outbreaks • 1976 in Sudan – E. Sudan • 1976 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo – E. Zaire • 1979 in Sudan – E. Sudan – Outbreak occurred in the same factory as first outbreak

Virus Strains • 5 different strains – E. Sudan – E. Zaire – E. Ivory Coast • Only one confirmed case – E. Reston • Non pathogenic to humans – E. Bundibugyo

Ebola virus • Member of Filoviridae – Pleomorphic • RNA virus • Genome has seven open reading frames – Code for structural proteins, glycoproteins, nucleoproteins, and polymerase

Transmission • Through blood to blood contact • Undersupplied and undertrained healthcare staff • Reusing needles and bloody gloves in hospitals

Natural Reservoir • Currently unknown • Sub-Saharan Africa non-human primate population • Possibly local bat population

Symptoms (Days 1 -10) • Replication period • Inside the body’s monocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells • No visible symptoms, but contagious

Symptoms (Days 11 -14) • Body recognizes infection and responds • fever, headache, muscle pain, conjunctivitis, and abdominal pain • Virus attaches to blood vessel walls

Symptoms (Days 15 -19) • Virus attacks connective tissue • Blood pools under skin • nausea, blood in vomit and diarrhea, and hemorrhaging from the mouth, nose, and other body openings • Hypovolemic shock causing death

Ebola Documentary Trailer • http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=A 0 n 5 d. Li. B JL 8

Sources • (2009). Viral. Zone. Retrieved Apr. 9, 2010, from Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Switzlerland. Web site: http: //www. expasy. ch/viralzone/all_by_species/23. html. • (2009). Questions and Answers about Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever. Retrieved Apr. 8, 2010, from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA. Web site: http: //www. cdc. gov/ncidod/dvrd/Spb/mnpages/dispages/ebola/qa. htm. • (2010). Syndromic Surveillance as an Early Warning System for Biological Attacks. Retrieved Apr. 8, 2010, from Medscape CME. Web site: http: //cme. medscape. com/viewarticle/456526_11.